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SDCC | EA Taking Control of ‘Dead Space’

Isaac Clark is on his way to the big screen. Patrick O’Brien, who oversees film adaptations for Electronic Arts, and Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Hack/Slash) appeared on a panel at Comic-Con International, where they revealed the games publisher is taking a more active role in adapting Dead Space for film. According to Variety, Marks is on board to help develop the story.

For a time, D.J. Caruso (I Am Number Four, Disturbia) was attached to direct a script from Philip Gelatt (The Bleeding House, Europa Report), which will be passed along to a new screenwriter.

“We decided we have to pitch the projects as scripts,” O’Brien said. “EA was batting 0 for 5 before we began funding scripts. We’ve had our knocks in the studio system.” O’Brien explained that EA took control of the Need for Speed movie which is being co-produced by DreamWorks and will be distributed by Disney after learning from mistakes made in trying to get The Sims, Spore, Mass Effect, Army of Two and Dante’s Inferno to theaters. “You don’t want to go in with just an idea and be one of 200 projects,” he added. “We decided we have to change the model and go in with a script.”

Marks understands the potential for this film to echo others thanks to a shared tone, something he’s looking to avoid. “You would be making Event Horizon or Alien,” he said. “I’ve already seen that movie.” Marks and company will focus on Clarke’s story in a way “that’s new and intriguing.”

Dead Space debuted in 2008 with a game that starred Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard a space ship who does his best to survive after the ship’s crew has been murdered and converted into Necromorph monsters. Sequels followed in 2011 and 2013.